


when you like someone

by wonsteapot



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, side junhoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 18:23:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12989871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonsteapot/pseuds/wonsteapot
Summary: “Youhaveto come with us,” Junhui insists. “We hardly see you these days.”Soonyoung examines a lock of his hair, squinting at the ends. He really needs to trim his fringe. “I’ll try and get a few days off, but I can’t promise anything,” he says, spinning in his chair. “The boss has been a bit tetchy recently.”Junhui sighs loudly. “When was the last time you took a vacation?”Soonyoung goes on vacation with his friends and experiences a few epiphanies.





	when you like someone

“You _have_ to come with us,” Junhui insists. “We hardly see you these days.”

Soonyoung examines a lock of his hair, squinting at the ends. He really needs to trim his fringe. “I’ll try and get a few days off, but I can’t promise anything,” he says, spinning in his chair. “The boss has been a bit tetchy recently.”

Junhui sighs loudly. “When was the last time you took a vacation?”

Switching the phone to his other ear, he stares at the incomplete audit report open on his desktop screen with dead eyes. “About nine months ago, I think.”

“That’s unacceptable,” exclaims his friend, indignant. “Look, it’s only going to be for a week, a nice exotic resort, an all-inclusive deal, the old gang together. It’ll be great!”

For a brief wistful moment, Soonyoung thinks about walking along the waves, the sand running between his toes, the sea breeze playing with his hair, backlit by a blazing sunset. He thinks about cocktails by the pool, chilling out in the sun, the generous spread of a mouth-watering buffet and the endless supply of ice cream. He thinks of seeing his closest friends again, some of whom he hasn’t seen since leaving university four years ago. He thinks of one person is particular, with sharp eyes and teasing jabs always ready at the tip of his tongue.

“Who else is going?” he asks, trying to sound nonchalant and failing. 

“Well, Jihoon will be there, of course,” Junhui replies with a giggle. Soonyoung rolls his eyes, caught between exasperation and fondness at how smitten Junhui still sounds, despite the two of them being in a steady relationship for the better part of the year. “Seokmin said he’ll drag Mingyu along with him, who’ll probably drag Minghao along. Jihoon’s invited Jeonghan hyung, although he hasn’t confirmed yet.”

Soonyoung waits silently.

“Oh, and Wonwoo’s coming, too” Junhui says as an afterthought. _Of course_ , Soonyoung thinks sullenly. 

“I thought he’d be too busy being an important journalist,” he says. 

“He usually is, but I begged him to take some time off for this trip,” Junhui says brightly. “Plus, I think he wants to see you.”

“Sure, any chance to ridicule me,” Soonyoung grumbles, eliciting a nervous laugh from his friend. “He lives to make my life miserable.”

“Oh, come on, Soonyoung, it’s just his way of showing his affection,” Junhui placates and Soonyoung feels a flush crawl up his neck.

“Whatever,” he mumbles, trying to will away the blush even though his friend can’t see him. “Anyway, I better get back to work. I need to finish this bloody report before I approach Mr Lee to beg for some leave.”

“Yay!” Junhui cheers on the other end of the line. “It’ll be a lot of fun, I promise. You won’t regret it!”

*

Junhui is a fucking liar, and Soonyoung most certainly regrets it. 

“Wait, what?” he hisses, eyes busy scanning the vicinity for a familiar face. 

“I guess I forgot to tell you,” Junhui says with a sheepish smile on his face. “Seokmin couldn’t get any time off, and Mingyu’s grandmother has unfortunately fallen ill, so he had to go home and Minghao went with him for moral support.”

“Jeonghan hyung?” Soonyoung tries, turning to Jihoon who’s busy with a game of Candy Crush on his phone. 

The shorter man shrugs. “He hasn’t confirmed.”

“We are leaving in _three hours_!” Soonyoung points out, starting to become slightly hysterical. Jihoon shrugs again, clearly not concerned by Jeonghan’s absence. 

Junhui pats Soonyoung on the head, expression serene despite his friend having a mild nervous breakdown in the middle of a busy airport. “Don’t worry, at least Wonwoo is still coming.”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Soonyoung mutters. He’s not keen on the idea of playing third wheel to what is turning out to be a lovers’ retreat with bloody Jeon Wonwoo haunting his steps. 

Junhui sighs. “I honestly don’t know what the issue is between you two.”

And that’s the trouble. Even Soonyoung cannot pinpoint what it is about the other man that sets him on edge. He remembers feeling awkward and flustered whenever Wonwoo so much as looked at him, which unfortunately used to happen a lot back in university. And of course, there is that one incident from years ago that will forever remain unaddressed. 

“He makes me feel dumb,” Soonyoung says. Jihoon snorts and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like _that’s because you are_ , but before he can retaliate, an arm drapes across his shoulders and a warm body presses flush against him. 

“Did you miss me?” a deep baritone hums into his ear, lips brushing against his earlobe fleetingly. 

An involuntary shiver runs down his spine. 

“Geez!” Soonyoung leaps away from the other man, wiping at his ear hastily and glaring daggers at Wonwoo’s smirking face. “Please, kindly keep at an arm’s length from me at all times.”

Soonyoung is rather dismayed by how good Wonwoo looks, the other man somehow managing to grow even more handsome over the years since they last saw each other at their university graduation. It makes the job of ignoring the moron just that much harder when Soonyoung is constantly gripped by the urge to check him out at the same time. 

Wonwoo clutches at his chest in mock hurt. “After all these years and this is how you greet your dearest friend.” 

“Dearest friend, my ass,” Soonyoung grumbles while Jihoon snickers in the background and Junhui hovers nervously between them. 

“I‘d like to be a friend of your ass, yes,” Wonwoo replies with a mischievous grin. Soonyoung groans loudly as Jihoon lets out a loud guffaw, already planning ways to make Junhui suffer for subjecting him to a whole week of Wonwoo’s lame humour and needling. 

“Right,” Junhui pipes in loudly, stepping in to mediate. “Now that we’re all here, let’s check in and uh, yeah.” He loses steam when Soonyoung pointedly crosses over to stand by Jihoon after Wonwoo tries to put his arm around him again.

*

Unfortunately for Soonyoung, Jihoon is a cold-hearted bastard and refuses to switch seats with him on the flight to Bali, and so he has to spend the next seven hours stuck next to an annoyingly touchy Wonwoo, who seems to think it is perfectly normal and acceptable behaviour to use his shoulder as a pillow. 

The entitled git even has the nerve to glare at Soonyoung when he shoves him away to have his on-flight meal, grumbling about inconsiderate friends who had black-holes for stomachs. 

Soonyoung thinks this is rather uncalled for, especially since Wonwoo always eats enough food to feed a family of four and then some, and yet has the audacity to look like a lean, toned, work of art. 

Wait, no, like a stick insect. Yes. 

Soonyoung shakes his head, berating his mind for its tendency to start waxing poetic whenever Wonwoo comes into the picture. 

And unfortunately for him, it seems the idiot will be in the picture quite a lot over the next few days, based on the minute detail Junhui failed to share with him before the trip. The detail about him sharing a lovely detached lanai room with Wonwoo, with their very own queen-sized bed decorated with rose petals, and a private courtyard that looks out into a thriving garden dotted with beautiful Balinese sculptures. 

The bellboy who drops off their luggage gives them a knowing grin and wishes them a lovely honeymoon on his way out. 

On any other day, Soonyoung would be singing Junhui’s praises for securing such luxurious quarters in a fancy five-star resort, but today he’s ready to kill him, especially when Wonwoo stifles a laugh at the way he sputters after the bellboy. 

“There’s one bed,” Soonyoung states, a headache slowly building behind his eyes. 

“I’ll take the right side if you don’t mind,” Wonwoo says, looking entirely too calm given the circumstances. “Unless you’re too much of a wimp to share the bed with me,” he finishes, the challenge clear in his eyes. 

Soonyoung narrows his eyes. “I find you about as intimidating as a new-born lamb,” he scoffs. 

“Is that why you’re still glued to the door?”

“I’m just enjoying the sturdiness of this door,” Soonyoung replies, slapping the door a few times to prove his point. “It’s very good wood.”

“ _I’m_ very sturdy,” Wonwoo smirks. 

Soonyoung nearly chokes on his tongue, the implication not lost on him. “Why do you always have to say weird shit like that?”

Wonwoo laughs, head thrown back, nose scrunching in his trademark way. It sends his heart fluttering and Soonyoung curses at himself, disgruntled at how attractive he finds the other man, despite also being a royal pain in his ass. 

“I like how flustered you get,” Wonwoo says, sitting down on the bed and making himself comfortable among the abundance of pillows. “Relax, your virtue will remain intact even if we’re sharing a bed. I am a perfect gentleman.”

Gritting his teeth, he stomps across the room to rummage through his suitcase for a change of clothes and beelines to the bathroom. “I’m going to shower and then take a nap. Make yourself scarce,” he calls over his shoulder before slamming the bathroom door shut and locking it. 

“This is my room, too,” Wonwoo yells through the door. 

Soonyoung ignores him in favour of enjoying a warm bath in the beautiful sunken marble bathtub.

*

“You look terrible,” Jihoon observes over breakfast. 

Soonyoung gives him a grim look, shovelling some scrambled eggs into his mouth. It’s just him and Jihoon at the table, Junhui having skipped off chirpily to a morning Yoga class while Wonwoo is still bundled under the covers in bed, deep in slumber. 

“Two hours of sleep can do that to you,” he mutters. 

“Wonwoo kept you busy?” Jihoon, the little shit, asks with an amused smirk. 

“He kept rolling on to my side of the bed, that jerk,” Soonyoung grumbles. “And I’m sure he was doing it on purpose. It’s not like there’s not enough room on the stupid bed.”

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Why are you being so difficult?”

“ _I’m_ being difficult?” Soonyoung gapes at his friend, askance. “Did you hear what I just said?”

“You know how Wonwoo is, he likes teasing you only because you get all huffy like this,” Jihoon says, sounding very matter-of-fact. “If you’d just keep your cool around him, he’ll get bored.”

Soonyoung stabs a sausage on his plate and takes a vicious bite out it, annoyed because he knows Jihoon is right. 

“Easy for you to say, it’s not you he targets,” he says. “Honestly, why am _I_ his favourite chew toy?”

Jihoon doesn’t immediately answer, just stares at Soonyoung with an unreadable look in his eyes. Then he looks past Soonyoung, nodding at someone. Sneaking a peek over his shoulder, Soonyoung bites back a groan when he sees the root of his current troubles making his way to their table with a plate piled high with food. 

“I don’t know who I feel sorrier for,” Jihoon comments calmly. “You, Wonwoo, or me.”

*

Seminyak is a breathtakingly beautiful resort, the serene beaches complemented prettily by the colourful beach umbrellas dotted along the expanse. The water is a clear, sparkling blue and the deep green tropical foliage completes the picture of the secluded piece of paradise on earth. And as soon as the sun sets past the horizon, the night life springs alive with renowned restaurants and beach clubs spread across the area. It really is the ideal place for a getaway. Especially for couples. Or so he’s told, which is why Soonyoung doesn’t entirely blame Junhui and Jihoon for disappearing on him to spend some quality time together. 

He does however blame them for dragging him along on their trip with the lure of it being a fun vacation with the ‘old gang’. 

Sure, the four of them are part of said old gang, but it’s a bit uncomfortable when two out of the four are in a steady relationship and off doing couple-y things, leaving him with Wonwoo, who seems rather intent on hanging out with him for his own amusement purposes. 

It takes Soonyoung a whole two hours to shake him, but he manages it in the end by spilling a whole cocktail on Wonwoo’s lap, causing the other man to run through an impressive list of expletives before storming off in the direction of their hotel room for a change of clothes. 

Soonyoung promptly sets off to one of the hotel spas as soon as Wonwoo’s figure disappears around the corner, intent on receiving his fair share of pampering in peace. 

He’s dozing on a comfortable reclined chair, face covered in a charcoal mask, and feet submerged in a warm bath, when one of the cucumber slices covering his eyes is stolen. Startled, he cracks open the eye and shuts it again, hoping the image greeting him would disappear if he ignored it long enough. 

“Nice look,” Wonwoo chuckles, and then snaps a picture of him on his phone. “It’s an improvement to your usual face,” he says, gleefully dancing away from Soonyoung when he swipes at him. 

“What are you doing here?” Soonyoung asks sullenly. 

“Getting a pedicure,” Wonwoo tells him, sitting in the chair next to him and flashing a wide grin at him. 

“A pedicure,” he repeats, eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Do you even know what that is?”

Wonwoo snorts. “It’s an excuse to have someone else cut your toenails for you because you’re such a lazy ass,” he says, looking pointedly at where Soonyoung’s feet are soaking in the water bath. 

Soonyoung flushes. “Go away, I’m trying to chill out and enjoy myself.”

“And you can’t do that with me around?”

“No,” Soonyoung snaps. 

“That’s harsh,” Wonwoo pouts. “We haven’t seen each other in four years. I think It’s only normal to want to catch up.”

The man has a point, and Soonyoung doesn’t really want Wonwoo to come out looking like the bigger person between them. “Fine, what do you want to know?”

“Is it true you’re working some dead-end job in some big-name business firm?”

Soonyoung bristles. He might hate his thankless job and curse his boss every single day of the week at least ten times, but he’s not been working his ass off for the past three years for Wonwoo to come along and diss his job. 

“It’s a good job that pays all the bills,” Soonyoung retorts. _Hypocrite_ , whispers a voice that sounds suspiciously like Jihoon in his head. 

Wonwoo tilts his head, inspecting him quietly for a few minutes, enough for Soonyoung to start squirming in his seat. 

“You don’t sound happy,” he sighs.

“I am,” Soonyoung insists, “and anyway, what’s it to you?”

Wonwoo frowns at him. “I’m your friend, Soonyoung. I’d like to see you happy.”

Soonyoung falls silent, caught off guard. It feels weird to have Wonwoo be anything but a smartass around him. He waits for a flippant comment to follow, but it never comes. 

“Didn’t you want to be a dancer?” Wonwoo asks. He waves away the manicurist who approaches him with a polite smile. Soonyoung watches her retreating back, feeling a bit desperate. 

“It was a pipe dream,” Soonyoung mutters. 

“But why?” Wonwoo asks, leaning forward until he’s in Soonyoung’s personal space. “You are so good. Why would you give that up so easily?”

Soonyoung clenches his teeth, defensive and uncomfortable with the topic. It’s something he’d rather avoid because it always leaves him feeling disappointed in himself. “Wonwoo,” he warns. 

So much for an escape to the spa for a few hours of relaxation. He’s not felt this tense since his team bailed on him before a company presentation a few weeks ago. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to push,” Wonwoo hastily mutters. 

A beat of silence and then – 

“So, do you have a girlfriend?” 

Soonyoung rolls his eyes. “No.”

“Oh, then... a boyfriend?”

“Bloody hell, _no_ , Wonwoo. I’m still a pathetic loser who apparently can’t seem to find either a good job or a love life.”

“Wow, you’re so tightly wound,” Wonwoo comments mildly, eye wide. “I guess you _are_ in the right place, huh.”

He is saved from any potential harm Soonyoung would have inflicted on him when the Aesthetician shows up, as if on cue, to finish up Soonyoung’s facial treatment. Soonyoung spends the rest of his treatment tuning out Wonwoo’s relentless questions by imagining all the different ways the other man could suddenly meet a very painful end on the resort.

*

“I’ll treat you to dinner for a whole month,” Soonyoung offers desperately. 

Jihoon scoffs. “We hardly see you as it is. I find it hard to believe you’ll be around every night _and_ buy me dinner as well.”

Soonyoung pouts, unable to argue the point. “Fine, what do you want? I’ll do anything, please!”

They are the only ones at breakfast once again, Jihoon awake so early because Junhui had dragged him to the Yoga class where he’d lasted a grand total of ten minutes before giving up and sneaking off, and Soonyoung up bright and early thanks to Wonwoo’s restless rolling around in bed. 

“I’m not swapping rooms with you, so stop being a big baby and just bear with it,” Jihoon says, no trace of sympathy on his face. 

“He keeps trying to cuddle me,” Soonyoung wails into his pancakes. And to his horror, he’d woken up cradled in Wonwoo’s arms that morning, and had even enjoyed the embrace for a few blissful moments in his sleep-addled haze. 

Jihoon had chosen this inopportune moment to take a sip of his coffee, and nearly chokes on it when it goes down the wrong pipe. Soonyoung watches him cough and hack, feeling somewhat vindicated. “I’ve slept a total of four hours since coming on this stupid trip. I’m going to go insane at this rate.”

“Just talk to him about it,” Jihoon wheezes, still looking red in the face and thumping himself on the chest. “Or maybe build a pillow fortress between you guys. Just do something about it and quit whining to me.”

“Hmm, actually that’s not a bad idea.”

*

Jihoon and Junhui are once again nowhere to be found. Typical. And surprisingly, after a late brunch, Wonwoo had dug out a book from his backpack and made himself comfortable on a hammock by their room. 

Soonyoung hasn’t seen any sign of him for the past few hours. It feels great to finally have some time to himself, some time to really enjoy a quiet corner of the beach, some time to reflect and consider his life choices – 

“I’m bored, let’s go for a walk along the beach,” Wonwoo says, plopping down next to him on the sand. 

_Fuck._

Soonyoung tears his eyes away from the horizon and glances at Wonwoo. “No one is stopping you.”

Wonwoo sighs. “Are you still mad at me for not staying to my side of the bed?”

Soonyoung shrugs. 

“I tend to move around a lot in my sleep,” Wonwoo says, sounding apologetic. “I’m not doing it on purpose, but if you really mind, I can just sleep on the loveseat.”

And now Soonyoung feels like a piece of shit. “No, that’s, uh, that’s not necessary. I was just surprised to find you so close, that’s all.”

“Well, you certainly made a really comfy pillow,” Wonwoo grins, poking him in the side with a bony finger. “All soft and squishy.”

 _This piece of shit_ , Soonyoung thinks. 

“Are you calling me fat?”

“What? No,” Wonwoo says quickly. “You’re just nice to cuddle.”

Despite still feeling somewhat insulted, Soonyoung can feel a blush crawling up his neck. 

“Whatever, let’s just go on a stupid walk,” he snaps, standing up to brush sand off his swimming trunks and setting off at a brisk pace, feet sinking into wet sand as the waves crept up the beach leisurely. 

Wonwoo catches up with him quickly, huffing out a quiet laugh. 

“Have I made you angry again?” he asks, jogging ahead a little, walking backwards so he can see Soonyoung’s face. 

“Nice guess, Sherlock,” Soonyoung deadpans. 

Wonwoo stops abruptly and Soonyoung nearly walks into him, if not for the hand that reaches across to steady him and then casually stays wrapped around his bicep. Soonyoung has to swallow a few times when his mouth goes suddenly dry, very aware of the warmth of Wonwoo’s hand against his bare skin. 

“I’m sorry,” Wonwoo says, surprisingly earnest. “I always seem to mess up,” he mutters under his breath. 

“What?”

Soonyoung watches curiously as Wonwoo takes a deep breath and clears his throat a few times. His hand is still around his arm, fingers squeezing momentarily. 

“I know I can be a bit overbearing sometimes with my jokes and teasing, but it’s only because you kind of make me nervous and I just…” he trails off, avoiding Soonyoung’s gaze when he raises his eyebrows. To his surprise, Wonwoo’s blushing. 

“I make you _nervous_?” he asks in disbelief. 

“Uh, yeah,” Wonwoo says, eyes flitting over his face briefly. 

“Why?” 

Wonwoo bites his lower lip and chews on it for a while, deep in thought. Then he seems to steel himself for something. “Soonyoung, please don’t say anything and just hear me out,” he starts, stepping closer to him. 

Startled, Soonyoung takes a step back– 

And cries out in pain when he feels a burning sting in his right heel. 

Wonwoo lets go of him immediately, alarmed. “What’s wrong?”

The burning sensation is now spreading all over his foot and Soonyoung hops on his left leg, reaching down to grab his right foot to try and inspect the damage. Wonwoo drops to his knees, reaching for his foot as well, then catches sight of something on the sand and leaps away from the spot, tugging Soonyoung along with him. 

“Jellyfish,” he declares urgently. 

“What now?” Soonyoung whimpers, blinking back tears. He will not cry in front of Wonwoo, god damn it!

“You stepped on a jellyfish,” Wonwoo says, leading him to sit down on one of the beach chairs. He scoots down in front of him, grabbing his throbbing foot and inspecting it closely. “It’s swelling up a little. Are you finding it hard to breathe?”

“No, but my foot hurts like hell,” Soonyoung manages through clenched teeth. He vaguely remembers something about jellyfish stings, and while he’d rather die than suggest it under normal circumstances, the burning pain is no bloody joke. “You need to pee on it.”

Wonwoo recoils, looking scandalised. “Excuse me?”

“That’s what you have to do for jellyfish stings,” Soonyoung explains, blinking rapidly to try and keep his eyes dry. The stinging is now moving up to his ankles, and the sole of his foot feels like it’s on fire. “Just pee on it, please.”

“Uh, no,” Wonwoo says. “I don’t think this is the time to entertain your kinks. Nope, I’m just going to take you to a medic.”

“Fuck you, Jeon,” Soonyoung complains angrily while the other lifts him up in a _fucking bridal carry_ and starts to trek back towards the hotel. “What kind of a useless friend are you? Is your pee a fucking national treasure or something that you can’t part with it?”

“Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”

“Doubtful.”

*

“Thanks for not peeing on me,” Soonyoung mumbles later, propped up in bed and his injured foot elevated on two pillows. 

Wonwoo pauses his restless channel surfing on the television and gives him a small smile. “Do you need a painkiller?”

Soonyoung shakes his head, feeling slightly warm all over under Wonwoo’s careful watch. “It’s fine, the stinging is dying down.”

The hotel doctor had rinsed his foot with some sea water (which she had at hand because apparently jellyfish stings and clueless tourists were a frequent enough occurrence) and then had him sit in her clinic room with his foot immersed in warm water for an hour, before she made him swallow down some ibuprofen and sent him away with clear instructions to come back immediately if the swelling got worse. On the way back to their hotel room, Wonwoo had insisted on giving him a piggyback ride much to his embarrassment. 

Although, it is a bit endearing to see Wonwoo fussing over him instead of giving him grief as is his usual agenda. He certainly has the capacity to be a sweetheart when he wants to be, Soonyoung is just not often blessed with this side of Wonwoo and it is unfortunately giving him some palpitations. 

A knock sounds on the door while he is busy mentally listing all the things he dislikes about Wonwoo in hopes of calming his racing heart. 

“Door’s open,” Wonwoo calls out, unmoving from his spot on the bed. 

Junhui sticks his head in, looking around the room until he finds them both lounging on the bed. The concerned frown on his face melts into a smile as he potters into the room, Jihoon on his heel carrying a fruit platter. 

“We just got your message,” Junhui says, sitting down beside Soonyoung gingerly. “Are you alright?”

Jihoon doesn’t say anything but does offer a fat slice of mango to Soonyoung, who happily chomps down on the fork. 

“It’s fine, just a bit of swelling. Nothing to worry about,” Soonyoung says, cheeks full of mango. He appreciates the gesture from his friends and smiles brightly at them. 

“Trust you to go and step on a jellyfish,” Jihoon snorts, offering another slice of mango. 

“Jihoon,” Junhui reprimands his boyfriend, eyes narrowed and arm wrapping protectively around Soonyoung, who snuggles into him and sticks his tongue out at Jihoon. “Be nice, he’s hurt.”

“He’s being taken good care of,” Jihoon comments, eyes scanning the pillows under Soonyoung’s foot and landing firmly on Wonwoo. 

Wonwoo clears his throat and looks away, face a blank mask. 

Soonyoung shifts, heart rate picking up once again at Jihoon’s observation. Junhui gives them a careful look, mouth curling at the edges in a knowing grin. Although Soonyoung is not entirely sure what it is that he thinks he knows. 

“Uh, yeah, Wonwoo’s been great,” Soonyoung says simply, then blushes when Wonwoo’s eyes meet his for a second before they shift away to focus on the television again.

Wonwoo grunts in response, cheeks colouring, and Soonyoung has to fight the insane urge to bite his hand at the sight. A flustered Wonwoo is apparently a weakness of his. 

Junhui hums, the grin on his face growing until he looks a bit manic. “Of course, I’m sure Wonwoo’s only too happy to help,” he says, sharing a look with Jihoon, who smirks. “Well, since you can’t join us for dinner, we thought we should just order room service and have dinner here.”

Soonyoung smiles, touched by their thoughtfulness once again. “You’re the best.” 

Wonwoo, on the other hand, suddenly looks rather grumpy.

*

The next day, mostly recovered and already over the trauma of the jellyfish incident, Soonyoung gorges himself on the breakfast buffet until he feels slightly sick, and then sets off with Jihoon to book a bit of water-gliding and one of the guided hikes through the rice fields for everyone. 

When he returns to the hotel room to harass his roommate to join them for the water-gliding, the rolled-up bundle on the bed that was Wonwoo when he’d left for breakfast is gone. Frowning, he ventures out into the private courtyard attached to their room, but Wonwoo remains conspicuously absent. 

He’s stepping back in to the room when the bathroom door opens and out comes Wonwoo in a dramatic sweep of mist, clad in only a towel and still looking a bit wet. It's reminiscent of one of those cheesy epic entrances of the male lead in the k-dramas Soonyoung loves to binge-watch. 

Soonyoung freezes, mind going blank as his eyes are assaulted by the long expanse of smooth skin on display. For someone who looks like he could be blown away any minute by a mildly strong breeze, Wonwoo is very toned. And without a shirt on, his shoulders look even broader, offset nicely by the slim waist. And god, the jut of his collarbones is going to stay forever seared into Soonyoung’s brain, his teeth itching to bite down on them.

He realises Wonwoo is speaking to him when he snaps his fingers in his face. 

“Chest,” he says intelligently. Wonwoo raises an eyebrow and Soonyoung stammers out, “Uh, no, I mean, what?”

Wonwoo snickers, nose crinkling up in that endearing way of his. “I _said_ , how’s your foot?”

“Uh, yeah, it’s, uh, it’s great!” Soonyoung finally manages, flushing bright red and wishing he could just vanish on the spot. “Never been better.”

Wonwoo steps closer, only a few centimetres separating them now. “Are you sure? You’re looking a bit flushed,” he asks slowly, a hand coming to rest on his forehead. 

Soonyoung nearly swoons, his stomach trying to contain a sudden flurry of butterflies. 

Swallowing hard, he manoeuvres out of the way until he’s created enough distance between them. A wet, naked Wonwoo in such close proximity is doing nothing to help his brain string words together to give a sensible answer. 

“It’s just hot in here,” Soonyoung says quickly, eyes averted. “We’re going to head over to the beach for some water-gliding. Do you want to join us?”

“Sure,” Wonwoo nods, looking a bit disappointed at the quick change in topic. “I’ll even hold your hand through it.”

Soonyoung throws a cushion at his face.

*

Here’s the thing. 

Things weren’t always this strained between Wonwoo and him. 

In fact, when they’d initially met during their first year of university through mutual friends, they’d both gotten along very well. Although, Wonwoo had always been more Junhui’s friend from high school and Soonyoung had always been Jihoon’s childhood friend, so they hardly spent any time with each other without the company of the other boys. But when they did, it was always a good time and there had never been any awkwardness. 

Sure, Soonyoung had always been very aware of the other’s good looks, and had at times even been slightly jealous of the attention his friend received during nights out. But it had always been something that stayed in the periphery of his mind. 

That is, until one night early on in their third year. The whole gang had gone out to celebrate Jeonghan’s birthday and gotten absolutely smashed, Soonyoung included. Thankfully, Joshua had abstained and been kind enough to escort their sorry asses back to their flats, but he’d given up halfway and decided to drop Wonwoo and Soonyoung off at Jihoon’s because they were both being so clingy with each other and refused to budge when Joshua had tried to extract Wonwoo away from Soonyoung. Jihoon himself was left in his bedroom, fast asleep, while Wonwoo and Soonyoung were dumped on the couch. 

“Are there two of you?” Soonyoung had slurred, squinting at the two Wonwoos swimming in front of his face. 

Wonwoo had laughed and slapped him on the chest. 

“I don’t mind, I like your face anyway.”

Wonwoo had gone very quiet at that, before saying, “I like your face, too.”

“It reminds me of Seulgi, you know, from _Red Velvet_ ,” Soonyoung had carried on in his drunken rambling, reaching across to squeeze Wonwoo’s cheeks. “She’s so hot.”

“So, does that mean you think I’m hot?”

“Um, yeah, totally, absolutely, very hot!”

Wonwoo had chuckled, looking extremely pleased. And in the next instant, he’d leaned forward and kissed Soonyoung. Only they were both too drunk, and his lips had clumsily landed on Soonyoung’s chin. 

They’d both giggled at their clumsiness until their intoxicated brains decided to call it a night and they ended up snoozing on Jihoon’s tatty couch, snuggled into each other. 

The next morning, they’d unfortunately not been blessed with the benefits of an alcoholic amnesia, and so they’d tiptoed around each other awkwardly until Soonyoung couldn’t bear the tension and had tried to laugh it off to try and restore some normalcy. Wonwoo, for some reason, had not appreciated the hilarity and had stormed out of the flat, which left Soonyoung feeling all kinds of horrid and even more awkward. 

To Soonyoung, their friendship never recovered from that one drunken blunder. Instead of feeling the usual warmth he felt around Wonwoo, he started to feel tense and flustered in the other’s company, especially with the intense looks the other threw at him all the time, as if blaming him for the sudden rift between them. It made him withdraw and he started to consciously avoid Wonwoo. 

Wonwoo had retaliated by making it his mission to annoy the hell out of him whenever they crossed paths.

*

Soonyoung is suddenly reminded of that night, watching Wonwoo down shot after shot of tequila, easily keeping pace with Junhui. Jihoon’s already well on his way past tipsy and into the land of the royally pissed, hunched over the bar as he watches the ongoing drinking competition between his friends. 

“Perhaps you guys should slow down.” Soonyoung has to shout over the loud cheesy 80’s music blasting from the speakers. 

He is ignored. 

“Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he sniffs, sipping his own cocktail at a more sedate pace, especially since he’s already tipsy. He glances around the club, taking in the flashing lights, crowds of people nursing drinks and trying to still converse over the loud beat of the music, and the swaying bodies on the dance floor. 

“I’m heading to the dance floor, do you want to come with me?” he yells in Jihoon’s face, who frowns at him and shoves his face away irritably. “Right then, I’ll just go by myself.”

His friends pay him no attention when he slides off the bar stool and starts making his way through the rowdy crowd. It’s a small club, but extremely popular amongst the tourists despite the terrible music. It is situated very close to the beach, and the dancefloor spills out on to it. Soonyoung shimmies his way across the masses of sweaty bodies, a few too many hands brushing against him on the way, until he finds himself on the outskirts of the dancefloor, the slight sea breeze ruffling his hair lightly and feeling like a godsend after spending a good hour stuck in the middle of the stuffy club. 

The clean air also helps sober him up a little, until he’s only feeling pleasantly buzzed. 

It’s somewhat of a relief to be away from Wonwoo. Spending too much time with the other man has started to give him strange ideas, ideas of them together in ways not so platonic. And it’s been rather disconcerting, the way his heart speeds up whenever Wonwoo smiles at him, the way he is suddenly tripping over his own feet when the other so much as glances at him. 

Earlier today, he’d nearly had a heart attack when Wonwoo had reached out to place a firm hand against his lower back when he’d stumbled over some uneven ground during their guided hike. Wonwoo had looked far too good in his stupid floral shirt and bucket hat in the midst of the rice fields, and Soonyoung had nearly whimpered. Nearly. 

He’s so busy worrying over his unfortunate attraction to Wonwoo that he almost doesn’t notice when a pretty woman comes up to him, not until she’s dancing against him. 

“Hello, gorgeous,” she says, hands coming up to grip his biceps. “May I have this dance?”

Soonyoung blinks, taking in the low-cut top barely containing her generous chest, and silently laments his lack of attraction to the very attractive woman thanks to a certain beanpole ruining his life. 

“Uh, sure,” he replies, hoping his libido would kick in anyway. Maybe he just needs to get laid, after all, it’s been a while, and this lady certainly seems up for it, judging by the way she is rubbing up against him. 

He’s just getting into it himself, hands gripping her small waist to guide the pace when he feels someone else come up behind him, a strong arm wrapping across his stomach to pull him back against a firm body. 

“I’m sorry, but he’s with me,” says a very familiar voice, and Soonyoung internally flinches, legs going weak at the deep timbre. 

Soonyoung’s dancing companion raises her eyebrows, clearly amused by the sight of him sagging into Wonwoo’s arms and backs away with a cheeky wink. “All yours, handsome.”

“What are you doing?” Soonyoung demands, hands gripping Wonwoo’s forearms tightly. 

A low chuckle is soon followed by hips grinding against him, intention very clear. “Dancing.”

 _Bloody hell_ , Soonyoung thinks faintly, feeling what is clearly an erection pressing firmly against his backside, caught between disbelief and arousal. 

When Wonwoo grinds against him again, lips brushing over the nape of his neck, he stamps on the other man’s foot and jumps away from him as soon as Wonwoo releases him with a strangled yelp of pain. He whips around to glare at his friend, who gives him a wounded look, then stalks past Wonwoo and down the beach in the direction of their hotel. 

The pleasant buzz of the alcohol has worn off, replaced by the slow burn of anger and mortification. Mortification at himself for letting Wonwoo toy with his feelings so easily, and anger at Wonwoo for toying with his feelings so callously. 

“Soonyoung, wait,” comes Wonwoo’s voice, but Soonyoung resolutely ignores him, intent on getting back to their room and securing it with the door chain so that the moron can’t follow him in. 

“Wait!” 

He stops when fingers wrap around his forearm, gripping firmly. He tries to tug his arm away, but Wonwoo holds on stubbornly. 

“Let go, Wonwoo,” he snaps. 

“No, please,” Wonwoo says plaintively, coming to stand in front of him, but this time at a respectful distance. “Please, don’t be mad, I'm sorry.”

His words slur a bit, and he slightly sways on the spot, eyes wide and worried. Soonyoung sighs, the explosive anger in him turning down to a low simmer, taking in his friend’s drunken visage.

“You’re drunk,” he states, and Wonwoo nods so hard he nearly falls forward. 

“Yup, that I am,” Wonwoo mumbles, “and I’m sorry for chasing that girl away, but I just…”

“Uh huh, let’s just get you to bed,” Soonyoung says, wrapping an arm around Wonwoo’s back to support him and dragging him back to their hotel room. Wonwoo stays surprisingly quiet the entire way, head lolling to rest against Soonyoung’s while he fishes out the key card from his back pocket. 

As soon as the door closes behind them, Wonwoo presses Soonyoung against the door, his mouth closing over his insistently. Soonyoung sucks in a sharp breath, shock freezing him to the spot. Wonwoo grips his shoulders, deepening the kiss sloppily, until Soonyoung regains his senses and shoves him away. 

Wonwoo stumbles back a few steps, confusion colouring his face. 

“For fuck’s sake, Wonwoo!” Soonyoung exclaims, wiping at his lips. His heart is beating so hard, he can hear it like a drum in his ears. “You may be drunk, but that doesn’t mean you should go around kissing me every single fucking time!”

Wonwoo stares at him for a few minutes, pink dusting across his cheekbones, opening and closing his mouth a few times. Then, with a frustrated groan, he moves to sit on the bed and drops his face into his hands. He mumbles something, but Soonyoung can hardly make him out with the way he seems to be trying to suffocate himself with his hands. 

“What?” Soonyoung demands, hands coming to rest on his hips. 

Wonwoo peeks at him. “I don’t know why I keep fucking up all the time,” he says sadly. “I just really like you and I don’t know what to do with myself around you.” 

Soonyoung gapes at his friend. 

“I just want you to like me,” Wonwoo continues morosely, lips downturned. “But instead, I just keep making you angry.”

“You _like_ me?”

Wonwoo frowns at him. “A lot, a whole lot.”

It’s all a bit too much for Soonyoung. He has to sit down, and he flops down to the floor, thoughts racing a hundred miles per second, trying to make sense of Wonwoo’s words and suddenly seeing all of their exchanges in a new light. A giddy feeling builds up in him, slowly, slowly, until it’s spilling over in a fit of hysterics. 

“What’s so funny?” Wonwoo snaps. 

“Nothing,” he manages between giggles, “I mean, everything. Oh my god! This is just so fucking _stupid_ and surreal, and I don’t know what to do with this information.”

“I’m serious,” Wonwoo sulks, crossing his arms indignantly. 

Soonyoung bites back a laugh, but then decides to be a decent human being. “Right, I know you are. But you’re also really wasted right now, and I’d rather you didn’t spill any more secrets without fully being aware of it.”

He pads over to the bed, pushing at Wonwoo until he’s lying flat on the bed. “Sleep. We’ll talk about this tomorrow, when you’re sober,” he insists. 

Wonwoo grabs his hand when he tries to move away. “Stay with me,” he murmurs, eyes imploring. “Please.”

Soonyoung spends the rest of the night with Wonwoo’s head laid across his chest, an arm snug across his waist. By the time he drifts off, the sun is already peeking under the blackout curtains.

*

When Soonyoung wakes up, it’s to an empty bed. Blearily blinking away sleep, he scans the room for signs of life and is disappointed when he can’t find Wonwoo. The events of last night had been surprising, but also very enlightening, and he’s dying to talk to Wonwoo. He checks his phone to see if there are any messages from him, but only sees one from Junhui from last night, wondering where the both of them had disappeared off to after leaving the club. 

Determined to hunt down Wonwoo, he takes a quick shower and is in the process of buttoning up his shirt when the door clicks open and the man himself steps in. He’s holding a sprig of yellow orchids and seems startled to find him awake. 

“Hey,” Soonyoung says, then cringes at how stiff he sounds. 

Wonwoo shifts on his feet, looking everywhere but at him. 

“I’m guessing you remember some of last night,” Soonyoung ventures, feeling equally nervous. 

“A bit too well,” Wonwoo replies with a pained expression. He glances at Soonyoung, then looks away immediately when their eyes meet. 

Soonyoung huffs out a laugh, trying to diffuse the awkward tension. “I’m a bit surprised, you seemed quite smashed.”

“I was,” Wonwoo says quickly. “But I was still quite aware of what was happening. I'm sorry for being such a dick.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

The room descends into an uncomfortable silence, both fidgeting around uneasily, trying to find a graceful way of addressing the figurative elephant in the room. It gets to the point where Soonyoung literally itches from the tension. 

“I got these for you,” Wonwoo says suddenly, thrusting the flowers into his face. 

Soonyoung takes them mindlessly, face flaming. “Oh, thanks.”

Another beat passes where they just stare at each other, at a loss for words. 

“Okay, this is ridiculous,” Wonwoo mutters, almost to himself. He steps closer to Soonyoung and grabs his arms in a tight grip. Soonyoung winces slightly and Wonwoo loosens his grip with a grimace. 

“I. Like. You.” 

He enunciates each word carefully, eyes intent on Soonyoung’s. It’s a bit overwhelming and Soonyoung has to make a conscious effort to meet his gaze, even when he feels like putty in Wonwoo’s hands by this point. 

“I like you a lot,” Wonwoo says again, as if to make sure Soonyoung gets it. “In the ‘I want to date you’ kind of way.”

“I got it the first time,” Soonyoung replies, still a bit shell-shocked, because really how did they go from being barely friends to this in less than a week? But then again, according to Wonwoo, he seems to have liked Soonyoung for a while and he’s just been too dumb to see it. Although, Wonwoo also had a very backwards way of expressing his affections, Soonyoung thinks righteously. 

“Okay,” Wonwoo nods. “Well?”

“I don’t find you repulsive,” Soonyoung ends up saying, then immediately wishes he could knock himself out. 

Wonwoo snorts, but Soonyoung can see a hesitation in his eyes. 

So, he does the next best thing and pulls Wonwoo into a kiss, their lips crashing together a bit painfully in his rush. Wonwoo makes a surprised sound and steadies him, cradling his face in his hands gently and softening the pressure against his mouth. Soonyoung sighs when Wonwoo brushes his thumb against his cheek, a warmth creeping up his spine and slowly exploding in his chest, making him feel all fluttery and giddy. 

He whines a little when Wonwoo pulls back after a few minutes, chasing after his lips. 

“So, I guess that means you like me too?” he asks, smiling widely. 

Soonyoung pouts. “Can we skip this bit and get to the making out already?”

Wonwoo laughs, nose crinkling, and happily complies.

*

Jihoon raises both eyebrows when they meet them for dinner, eyes zeroing on the hickey decorating Soonyoung’s neck, which he had tried and failed to hide. Wonwoo had been relentless with his biting. 

Junhui lets out a low whistle at the sight. 

“Wow, who’ve _you_ been hanging out with?” he asks, reaching across the table to poke at the mark. 

Soonyoung bats his hand away, face burning. “No one,” he replies, while Wonwoo pipes in at the same time with, “Me.”

It’s met with silence, until Jihoon claps Wonwoo on the shoulder approvingly. “Fucking finally. I think I would’ve ended up killing someone if I had to endure any more of your idiotic courting ritual.”

Junhui tugs on his ear in reprimand, and Jihoon shuts up sensibly. “Well, I’m really happy for you guys,” Junhui says, beaming happily at them. Soonyoung winces at the brightness. “I was hoping you’d be able to work things out during this trip.”

“Wait, _what_?” Soonyoung asks, a sudden suspicion dawning over him. 

“What?” Junhui asks, suddenly a picture of innocence. 

“Did you guys plan this?”

“Plan what?” Jihoon smirks. 

“You did!” Soonyoung exclaims, shoving an accusatory finger in Jihoon’s face. Jihoon just rolls his eyes and sips his water. “Is that why everyone suddenly dropped out of this trip?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Junhui says quickly. “I’m so hungry, and the buffet smells absolutely heavenly. Excuse us.” And then he’s off, dragging Jihoon along with him. 

“Can you believe the nerve?” Soonyoung whirls around to face Wonwoo, ready for a rant, but then stops at the sheepish look on his face. 

Eyes narrowed, he leans into Wonwoo threateningly. “Wait, did _you_ know?”

Wonwoo shrugs, then quickly pecks him on the cheek, leaving Soonyoung a bit flustered. 

“I might have,” Wonwoo says quietly, reaching over to hold his hand, fingers weaving together easily. “Are you mad?”

Soonyoung tries to stay mad, he really does, but Wonwoo’s doing his best kicked puppy expression and really, he can’t say he’s unhappy with the outcome of their collective meddling. 

“No, but you’re still making it up to me tonight,” Soonyoung says. 

Wonwoo smirks, leaning over to kiss him.

*

**Author's Note:**

> I'm well aware this fic has a lot of cliche scenarios squeezed into it, but I'm guilty of enjoying them a lot.
> 
> Also, I've never been to Bali, so my apologies for any inaccuracies.


End file.
